Previous launcher designs have been of the rail type wherein the missile is forced from the rail by the propulsive force of the booster at booster ignition. The launcher rails are relatively massive and heavy which together with the blast effects from the booster, have limited the number of missiles that could be carried on a single tactical vehicle. Further, the erosion of the ground around the launcher due to the blast from the booster has resulted in severe dust clouds by which means a launch location is easily determined. Where hard stands were not provided, the erosion necessitated relocation of the launcher after missile firing.
The ejection launch eliminates the heavy rails, minimizes blast effects, and thus allows many missiles to be carried on a single vehicle. The minimized erosion eliminates the dust signature clouds and precludes the necessity of relocating the launch vehicle after a missile firing.
The missile transporter-launcher of the present invention includes many significant advantages over previous tactical launchers. Some of the advantages are as follows:
A. FIXED ANGLE LAUNCH ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR HEAVY, COSTLY TRAINABLE STRUCTURE AND ASSOCIATED SERVO AND DRIVE EQUIPMENT.
B. EJECTION LAUNCH WITH DELAYED ROCKET MOTOR IGNITION ALLOWS THE MISSILES TO BE CLOSELY PACKED WITHOUT BEING SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE DUE TO ROCKET MOTOR BLAST.
C. EJECTION LAUNCH ALLOWS THE MISSILE SHIPPING CONTAINERS TO BE ALSO USED AS A LAUNCH TUBE.
D. THE ABOVE TECHNIQUES, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SMALL SIZE OF THE MISSILE, ALLOWS A PLURALITY TO BE CARRIED WITHIN THE CARGO SIZE AND WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS OF A TACTICAL VEHICLE.
E. AS A RESULT OF THE EJECTION LAUNCH, PRESSURE LEVELS ON THE LAUNCHER AND SURROUNDING TERRAIN ARE MAINTAINED BELOW 1 PSI, thus soil erosion and dust signatures are reduced to negligible proportions.